Campy's Editorial Page

September 11th, 2002

9/11 - One year later.....

By Matthew McGowan

    One year after the terrible events of 9/11, the nation is preparing to take the war on terrorism to the only nation that openly supports terrorists, Iraq. But unlike one year ago, when even old enemies like Russia and China went out of their way to express solidarity with America, we do not have the support of the rest of the world. Traditional allies such as Britain and Germany have expressed serious reservations about getting involved, and France has even gone so far as to call for an end to economic sanctions against Iraq while accusing the United Nations and the United States of manufacturing evidence against Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

    But the criticism is not only coming from abroad. There are certain Democratic members of Congress who have gone as far as suggesting that President Bush is trying to start a new war in order to make money in the stock market or help the Republicans in the upcoming elections. Even more despicable people are saying that the U.S. is really the guilty party here, we brought these attacks on ourselves, and that we are now paying the price for the president’s (and the country’s) arrogance. To these people, I would like to offer a little history lesson.

    In 1979, Muslim extremists stormed the U.S. Embassy in Iran and held American Embassy staff hostage for 444 days. In 1982, Muslim extremists bombed the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, killing 49 people, including 17 Americans. In 1983, Muslim extremists blew up U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, killing 241 American servicemen. In 1985, Muslim extremists seized an Italian cruise ship and murdered Leon Klinghoffer, a 69-year-old, wheelchair-bound American. In 1986, Muslim extremists bombed a West Berlin discotheque frequented by U.S. servicemen.

    It doesn’t end there. In 1993, not only was the World Trade Center first bombed by terrorists, killing six and injuring thousands, but earlier in the year Muslim extremists plotted to assassinate then U.S. President George Bush. In 1995, five Americans were killed in a car bomb explosion executed by Muslim extremists. In 1996, Muslim extremists exploded a truck bomb outside an Air Force housing complex in Saudi Arabia, killing 19 and injuring hundreds more. In 1998, U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed by Muslim extremists, killing 212 people and wounding thousands. In 2000, our warship, the USS Cole, was attacked by Muslim extremists.

    Which brings us to 9/11. Thousands of our fellow American citizens were murdered in an instant by Muslim extremists. These people were not soldiers or political leaders. They were stockbrokers, secretaries, waitresses and janitors; hard working people who’s only mistake was showing up for work. In fact, many of the dead were not Americans, nor were they Christian or Jew. Many were Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Sikhs from many of the same countries who now call us the aggressor.

    President Bush vowed to go to war not only with the terrorists, but also with those who harbor them. Iraq has repeatedly and openly shown support to al-Qaeda, Hamas, and many other organizations that make up the global terror network. Not only that, but Saddam Hussein has repeatedly refused to abide by the U.N. resolution calling for weapons inspections which ended the Gulf War. We are no longer sure of what types of weapons (biological, chemical, or nuclear) that Hussein possesses, and can not afford to wait until he puts them in the hands of the terrorist networks he supports for use against the U.S. to find out. We have tried diplomacy with Iraq for over ten years; it is now time to try something else. Any member of Congress who does not support this should be ashamed of themselves, as should any “ally” of the U.S. that purports not to support terrorism. They should be right beside us right now, because this is their war as well.

    Not only must we always remember the mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters that were killed on September 11, 2001, but we need to remember all the victims of terrorism for the last thirty years. And when we see the reminders of 9/11, we need to remember the images that the media is trying to let the world forget. Remember the people who jumped from the top floors of the World Trade Center and plunged to their deaths, rather than face the hell inside. Remember the frantic phone calls from the people on the airplanes and the people trapped inside the crumbling WTC, calling to tell their families they loved them, one last time.

    And then tell me why we shouldn’t go into Iraq.  It's been proven time and time again that the risks of inaction are far greater than the risks of action.

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